By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – At approximately 4 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon, Matt Gatens walked on to the court at the Iowa practice facility and was greeted by nearly two dozen members of the Iowa media.

“It’s taken a moment for it all to soak in,” Gatens said. “This is another moment just being around all you guys again. It’s amazing how many of you guys are still here. It’s cool. It’s awesome. I love it.

“It’s amazing to get to see you guys again. It’s special being around people that have reached out and the support has been unreal. I just can’t say thank you enough to all you guys and everything you guys do, and the fans, and friends of the family. It’s been pretty cool.”

Gatens started his new job as one of Fran McCaffery’s assistant coaches on Monday, and about a decade after having played for McCaffery at Iowa.

Monday was also Gatens’ 33rd birthday.

Gatens played his final two seasons as a Hawkeye under Fran McCaffery and helped the lay the foundation for a program that now consistently makes the NCAA Tournament.

That was not the case when Fran McCaffery was hired to replace Todd Lickliter as the Iowa head coach in 2010.

Iowa had suffered through three consecutive losing seasons when Fran McCaffery took over and then finished 14-19 in his first season.

The breakthrough occurred in McCaffery’s second season when the Gatens-led Hawkeyes advanced to the second round of the National Invitation Tournament.

Gatens made second-team All-Big Ten that season as a 6-foot-5 shooting guard and the program has been on solid ground ever since.

Iowa won the Big Ten Tournament this past season and 26 games overall.

“Just coming back to a place that I’ve grown up loving and being around and playing here and playing for a coach like coach McCaffery and the opportunity to come back and coach for him and with him and just continue to build on what they’ve done here is just really exciting to do it at a place I call home,” Gatens said. “And being around family and friends is just extra. So, it’s pretty special.”

Gatens, who is the son of former Iowa basketball player Mike Gatens, and a graduate of Iowa City High School, spent the previous four seasons on Darian DeVries’ staff at Drake University, including the last three as an assistant coach.

Gatens got his start in coaching as a graduate assistant for Bruce Pearl at Auburn.

Gatens made the decision to start coaching after suffering a serious knee injury while playing professional basketball.

His name recognition probably helped him get his foot in the door at Auburn, and at Drake, but then Gatens made the most of his opportunities.

So, when Kirk Speraw decided to retire after having spent the past 12 seasons on Fran McCaffery’s staff, Gatens immediately became the favorite to fill the spot.

“I think being somebody that knows coach McCaffery and knows how he wants to play and knows how he wants to recruit, I obviously haven’t been here for ten years, but I’ve watched games, I’ve stayed in touch with him and the coaches,” Gatens said. “So, I have a pretty good understanding of what they expect, who they want to recruit and how they want to recruit and what type of players.”

In a matter of weeks, Gatens has gone from recruiting for Drake to now recruiting for his alma mater.

“It’s unique and a little easier that it’s still the Midwest and it’s Iowa,” Gatens said when asked if the recruiting dynamic feels sort of odd right now. “It’s still Midwest, a lot of the same programs, coaches and things like that that I’m familiar with.

“So, that makes the transition a little easier. But it’s still a little different. You’re calling maybe some guys that you had been in touch with there (at Drake), or maybe not for a while because you knew they had gone up maybe a level, reintroducing yourself and just touching base.

“It’s pretty cool to be able to come back and recruit the area, recruit the state and recruit the Midwest.”

Gatens said he has been lucky in some ways as a coach and he thanked all the coaches that have helped him along the way.

He committed to Iowa as a high school freshman when Steve Alford was coaching the Hawkeyes. He then played for two seasons under Lickliter and for two seasons under Fran McCaffery at Iowa before playing professionally overseas.

Pearl then helped pave the way for Gatens to get into coaching by making him a graduate assistant.

Pearl was familiar with Gatens’ family after having been a Hawkeye assistant coach under Tom Davis in the 1980s.

“I’m thankful for the opportunties that those coaches gave me and for taking me under their wing and showing me the ropes and showing me how to have success in this business,” Gatens said.

Gatens spent part of his time in professional basketball playing in Ukraine in 2014, and he was asked Wednesday about the war that is currently being fought in Ukraine with Russia.

“It’s sad,” Gatens said. “It’s really unfortunate to see images and the stories.

“It kind of started back in 14 when I was there with Crimea and Russia. It’s an issue that goes back centuries, but the current situation, it’s sad. When I was there, my wife went home because things were getting close to where we were living. They were having protests and some of the Americans were being sent home.”

Gatens and his wife have two children that now get to live in the town where their father grew up as a basketball star and where Gatens’ parents still live today.

“He’s excited,” Gatens said of his father. “Not only just for me to come back here, but just to have the grandkids in town. Stuff like that is special.

“To have my kids, and his grandkids grow up where I grew up and go to the same places and same parks, it’s cool. It’s special, and I’m thnakful for the opportunity for it to happen.”

Gatens was asked Wednesday how it feels to be out on the recruiting trail wearing Hawkeye attire and recruiting for his alma mater.

“It feels good,” he said. “It’s the first time I’ve put it back on. It really does feel good.”